Asiatic dayflower, Schenley Park, 11 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
18 July 2026
Before the smoke came to town I went on a long walk in Schenley Park and around the neighborhood this week. The captions tell the stories.
Flowers and a cooperative young rabbit in Schenley Park on 11 July.
Smoke-free sunrise on 12 July.
A lovely tiny weed in the cobblestone cracks + a deer eating her way through a front yard on Bayard Street, 13 July.
A dinosaur statue being repainted, photographed in media res on 2 July and complete on 14 July. (I prefer the 2 July version.)
Bindweed with insects, Schenley Park, 11 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Young rabbit, Schenley Park, 11 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Sunrise before the smoke, 12 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Tiny pretty weed in the cracks, Japanese mazus, 13 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Doe browsing on Bayard Street, 13 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Doe browsing on Bayard Street, 13 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Albion Falls in fog, Hamilton, Ontario, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
However at ground level there were beautiful water droplets on all the plants. Many of them “weeds” but all looked gorgeous. Top to bottom:
Perennial sow thistle
White sweet clover
Common salsify
Gray dogwood berry stems shrouded in cobwebs
Tartarian honeysuckle berries
White sweet clover in fog, Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Common salsify in fog, Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Gray dogwood, mostly eaten berry bunch shrouded in cobwebs and fog, Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Tartarian honeysuckle berries in fog, Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Back in Pittsburgh I see deer every day now in my neighborhood. These two are munching a garden on Neville Avenue — a 6-point buck in velvet with a doe. They are a persistent couple.
Muching a garden: 6-point buck in velvet with doe, 10 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
In my neighborhood on 1 July I encountered a deer very close to the sidewalk who didn’t care that I stared at her.
She was eating a large Japanese spindle hedge (Euonymus japonicus)*, a plant that is toxic to humans and pets but not toxic to deer. She must be eating it day after day because the long hedge is damaged and see-through.
Japanese spindle hedge browsed by deer, 1 July 2026 (photo my Kate St. John)
Terribly hot weather. Even the sunset looked hot.
Heatwave sunset, 2 July 2026, 8:41pm (photo by Kate St. John)
So we’re on a mini-vacation in Hamilton, Ontario where it is not as hot. “Why Hamilton?” asked the Canadian immigration officer at the Peace Bridge. Well, we didn’t want to drive all the way to Toronto. Fair enough.
Hamilton (H on the map below) is on the way to Toronto (T) and more than an hour+ from the Peace Bridge in Buffalo (B). As we learned, there is a lot of stop and go traffic on the expressway.
Hamilton is at the westward tip of Lake Ontario and is bisected by the Niagara Escarpment, a 650-mile cliff that arcs from New York state to Ontario, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is not a fault line but the result of unequal erosion with hard rock on the cliff top and eroding limestone on the cliff face. Both the Genesee River in Rochester, NY and Niagara Falls cascade over the Niagara Escarpment.
Both the lake and the escarpment are visible from our hotel windows.
Lake Ontario seen from Hamilton, Ontario, 4 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)A portion of the Niagara Escarpment as seen from Hamilton, Ontario, 4 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
But not visible today. We were going to see the escarpment but it’s foggy.
Fog in Hamilton, Ontario, northeast wind, 5 July 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
(*) p.s. It’s possible that I’ve misidentified the hedge the deer was eating. Cultivated Euonymus japonicus and E.Fortunei are very similar.
Spittlebugs made this, 28 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
29 June 2026
Sunday morning started foggy so there were only five of us for the Schenley Park outing. Four are pictured below with Charity Kheshgi holding the camera. By the time we started walking the fog was gone at ground level.
Schenley Park outing, 28 June 2026 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
As expected we saw several robin fledglings and a mother mallard with five ducklings. The Best Bird was a pair of pileated woodpeckers foraging and shouting to keep in touch with each other. They probably had nestlings nearby but we didn’t see the nest. This photo from the same area a month ago is probably one of the pair. See our checklist at the end.
Pileated woodpecker at Schenley Park 25 May 2026 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Yesterday’s big attraction were the insects.
We found white foam patches on plant stems (photo at top). Hiding inside the foam are spittlebugs, nymphal froghoppers that suck the juice out of plants and excrete it as a sticky foam to protect themselves from temperature extremes, dessication and predators.
I took a photo of an interesting orange fungus, then noticed several millipedes next to the fungus. Why 3 instead of the usual one? It’s Millipede Mating Season, a subject so fascinating that I’m saving it for tomorrow.
Millipedes on a tree stump among fungi, 28 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
We found a dead butterfly, “one of those punctuation butterflies,” so I took a lot of photos — it wasn’t going anywhere. It’s a Question Mark butterfly named for the white marks on its cryptic ventral side. The question mark is inside the pink circle that I’ve drawn on the cryptic photo. (Ignore the white five-armed vegetation on top of the dead butterfly.)
Question mark butterfly, ventral view (deceased)
Question mark butterfly, dorsal view with the question mark circled (deceased)
Max found a bee tree off the trail. Charity took a video.
Honeybee hive in a tree in Schenley Park (video by Charity Kheshgi)
Bumblebee at obedient plant, 23 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
27 June 2026
This week I was in Blair and Allegheny Counties where I found late June flowers, busy insects and urban deer.
Beauty
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), at top, attracts many pollinators. It’s called obedient plant because if you move an individual flower to the side it stays in place.
Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea sp.) started blooming at the summer solstice in Schenley Park.
Enchanter’s nightshade, Schenley, 26 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
American germander (Teucrium canadense) is blooming at the Herrs Island back channel.
American germander, near Herr’s Island, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
On 21 June we had a beautiful morning birding the Lower Trail at Mt. Etna Station in Blair County. Before the day heated up, mist rose from the damp wooden railing on the pedestrian bridge over Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River.
Mist rises from a damp railing on the Lower Trail at Mt. Etna, 21 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bugs
Also on the Lower Trail a bug floated down from the trees. We caught and examined it, only to find it was the exoskeleton of a mayfly.
Mayfly exoskeleton, Lower Trail in Blair County, 20 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
On that same day back in Pittsburgh John English saw his first spotted lanternfly. 3rd instar.
Spotted lanternfly, Homestead, 20 June 2026 (photo by John English)
In 24 June I visited the Herrs Island back channel where I reliably find spotted lanternflies in the summer. There weren’t many but at least one was already in the final instar … the red one.
Two instars of spotted lanternfly, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Spotted lanternfly 3rd instar, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Spotted lanternfly 4th instar, Herrs Island back channel, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
The 4th instar will transform into a winged adult. This is only a matter of days away …
Spotted lanternfly stages, from nymph to adult (image from Wikimedia Commons)
Urban Deer
The deer in my urban neighborhood don’t care about people and cars. On 20 June my husband photographed a limping doe.
Limping deer in Shadyside, 19 June 2026 (photo by Richard St. John)Limping deer in Shadyside, 19 June 2026 (photo by Richard St. John)
And on 24 June my neighbor pointed out a doe and buck resting behind the retaining wall at Neville House. The buck is well hidden from my location. You can see the doe’s resting legs, her body and the back of her head.
Doe and buck sleeping behind the wall at Neville House, 24 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Daisy fleabane, Schenley Park, 16 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Dame’s rocket, Schenley Park, 16 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. It will be HOT (predicted to be 86°F) so don’t forget a sun hat + water. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Before you come, visit the Events page in case of changes or cancellations.
Hope to see you there!
(*) American robin second broods: American robins typically raise 2-3 broods per season from April through July. With 12-13 days for incubation + 13 days from hatch to fledge + a pause before next brood, the second brood can fledge 5 weeks after the first!
Resembling snow peas on a tree, Univ of Pittsburgh lawn, 4 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
9 June 2026
Last week these seed pods in my neighborhood looked like snow peas clinging to the redbud trees. Apparently it’s an exceptionally good year for redbud (Cercis canadensis) seed production even though we had two freezes while the flowers were blooming in April.
Both are members of the Legume or Pea family, Fabaceae:
Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves. The family is widely distributed, and is the third-largest land plant family in number of species, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species.
Two of four juvenile peregrines lounge on the nestrail, waiting for dinner, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Last evening during the last scheduled(*) Fledge Watch we again watched all four young peregrines lounge on the nestrail waiting for dinner. Only one was excited enough to run, flap, and hop. He almost took off … but not.
Fledge Watch at Schenley Plaza, 5 June 2026 (photo by John English)
Earlier in the day the juvies hopped in and out of the nestbox and made short flights between the nestrail and the top of the box. This could not be seen from Schenley Plaza but it was captured via motion detection snapshots.
At 2:15pm Red hopped up to the snapcam (photo at left) and at 3:45pm Green made the same move (photo at right). Green looks a lot larger than Red but it’s an optical illusion from the wide angle lens.
As we were packing up at the end of Fledge Watch, Carla suddenly dove like a bullet right over our heads and disappeared behind the trees. Seconds ticked by and then she flew out with two crows in pursuit. Hah! Of course they couldn’t catch her. And of course we have no photos. Perhaps she was bored or she was demonstrating for the kids.
(*) Last scheduled Fledge Watch: I will still be watching in the days ahead but it will be a spur of the moment event. You can always look for the peregrines any time and you might get lucky. If you see something interesting leave a comment!
Flowers at Schenley Park, 5 June 2026
On a walk in Schenley Park yesterday morning I found four flowers worth a look:
Chicory, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Ribwort (English) plaintain, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Virginia pepperweed, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)Mouse-ear hawkweed, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bluebead lily, Clintonia borealis, Forbes State Forest near Spruce Flats Bog, 29 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
30 May 2026
This week I went birding with friends in the Laurel Highlands at Bear Run and in the Forbes State Forest near Spruce Flats Bog. Even on a bright sunny day the tree canopy was so dense that the ground was mostly in shadow. This made it challenging to take good photographs.
At top, bluebead lily or yellow clintonia (Clintonia borealis) is always in the shade. Below, the whorled leaves of wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) are eye-catching. This whorl does not have flowers but even if it did the flowers are inconspicuous compared to this striking set of leaves.
Wild yam leaves at Bear Run Nature Reserve, 28 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Indian cucumber (Medeola virginiana) starts off as a whorl of 5-12 leaves.
Whorled leaves of Indian cucumber, Bear Run Nature Reserve, 28 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
When it flowers it grows a second tier of leaves that hides the flower beneath them. I didn’t see the spiderweb until I examined the photo.
Indian cucumber flower, Bear Run Nature Reserve, 28 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wild sarsaparilla, Forbes State Forest near Spruce Flats Bog, 29 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) has basal leaves on a separate stem that are tall enough to shade the flowers but the one we found (above) stood alone.
Foxglove beardtongue outside Phipps Conservatory, 22 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
26 May 2026
This month tall stands of white flowers are blooming in many Pittsburgh gardens including Schenley Plaza and at Phipps Conservatory. Chosen for its beauty, foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) has a weird name and an important characteristic: Deer don’t eat it.
Originally native to the Mississippi River basin it’s been planted widely in eastern North America. According to Wikipedia it is now the most widespread species of Penstemon east of the Mississippi River.
Its weird common and scientific names repeat each other.
The flower resembles a Foxglove in the Digitalis genus.
It has four active stamens (black tips in this photo) and a fifth false stamen (Penstemon) that has hairs on it (beardtongue).
Closeup of foxglove beardtongue flower, 22 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
The genus name Penstemon … may also come from the Greek penta meaning “five” and stemon meaning “stamen”. Both refer to the fifth, sterile stamen (staminode) that characterizes members of this genus. …
Penstemons are sometimes commonly called beardtongues because the sterile stamen (staminode) can be hairy.
Looking closely at the outside of the flower I noticed tiny hairs that look sticky, like the hairs on sundew. Sundew hairs are for trapping insects. I believe these hairs are merely repelling them.
Foxglove beardtongue: the outside of the flowers has sticky hairs, Schenley, 22 May 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
The flower stalk, calyx and exterior of the flower are all covered in short, dense, sticky glandular hairs.
… The scentless flowers, which may have a pink blush or fine violet nectar guides inside the corolla, are attractive to bees and butterflies, and may be visited by hummingbirds.
Painted dinosaur statue in Shadyside, 2 July 2026
